ESPN is hosting its annual Media Day in Bristol Friday. During the event, the network's new president, Jimmy Pitaro, explained that the Worldwide Leader in Sports does not plan to broadcast the national anthem before Monday Night Football games this season.
This isn't out of the ordinary—the network hasn't broadcast the anthem in the past—but some have wondered whether the network would begin airing the anthem, given the increased attention the ritual has engendered since Colin Kaepernick first took a knee in Aug. 2016.
Pitaro has been adamant that ESPN is a sports-focused media organization, though the Worldwide Leader will touch on politics when that realm intersects with sports.
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